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Former NBA top pick Oden arrested on battery charges

ARRESTED: Miami Heat center Greg Oden (20) runs down the court after scoring against the Washington Wizards Girls in the second quarter at Verizon Center on Jan. 15. Photo: Reuters/USA TODAY Sports/Geoff Burke

(Reuters) – Former number one draft pick Greg Oden was arrested in Indiana early on Thursday morning on battery charges following an attack on his ex-girlfriend, according to a police report.

Oden, a 26-year-old free agent who spent the 2013-14 NBA season with the Miami Heat, was arrested at a home in Lawrence, Indiana, and a police report said he admitted that a dispute “got out of control.”

The police report quoted Oden as saying he had been swinging his arms as he was being held back by a third person and in the process struck the women in the face.

“I was wrong and I know what has to happen,” Oden said, according to the report.

The police report also said that an officer “observed blood, swelling to the nose, lacerations to the forehead and nose area of the victim’s face.”

Oden told police that he dated the woman for approximately two years but they broke up around two months ago.

Oden was taken first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft but his career has been hampered by injuries.